Not So Heavenly
by pinksnail
Summary: You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly? OC with the SH crew.
1. Prologue

**You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly?**

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The beeping started off slow. It was more or less a steady sound. Her deafening heart beat sounded in time with the noise. But soon it began to quicken at an unhealthy rate. Panicked voices echoed around the sterile room, overlapping each other. A person outside the room flung herself at the door. She screamed hysterically. The woman was converged on and the screams were muffled. And all the while, the girl who lay on the bed, hooked up to scores of machines, tried to reach out to the light before her. The medical equipment, the doctors, her family and friends: they were all telling her to stay. _Stay away from the light._ Yet it was so tempting. She wanted to touch it. One time would be enough.

A shaky hand was raised and her fingers were outstretched. The beeping went erratic, then stopped and became a constant dead noise. The warm glow enveloped her and everything else faded. Her world was gone, as was the pain.

The light was strong. So strong in fact that she had to shield her eyes from the bright rays. When the light eventually dimmed she found herself standing in a peculiar place; a building of a familiar setup, but that's what made it peculiar. She blinked a couple of times to clear the blurriness behind her eyes and for extra measures pinched her arm.

_This dream is far too realistic for my liking._ She thought. _I must be dead._

Even after coming to that rather morbid conclusion, she still felt clam. If truth be told she actually felt euphoric. She couldn't remember feeling so happy. Ever. And she felt all this while staring at aisle upon aisle of products in a supermarket. It was too weird...

"Hi! Welcome to 'Purgatory Purchases' (but most people just call this place the Purge)." A voice chirped in the girl's ear, a slight European accent could be heard through its good English. She jumped and quickly spun around to face a lady dressed flamboyantly in different shades of pinks, covered in frills and bows.

She couldn't contain the "Wow..." that wanted to escape her lips.

The woman chuckled at the flabbergasted look the girl was giving her. "I really look that bad, huh?" She laughed again, flashing her pearly white teeth.

She snapped out of her momentary stupor and answered quickly as not to seem rude. "Oh no! Not at all... You're very pretty." She spoke the truth. Despite the garish outfit, the lady herself was extremely beautiful. She had bright blue eyes and long dark lashes. Blonde hair fell in tight curls from her scalp. Her skin was smooth, radiating an amazing glow. Everything about her seemed to shine with brilliance. She was otherworldly.

"It's just I've never seen something so... glitzy." The girl finished, indicating the dress.

"I can understand your thinking. It's not everybody's cup of tea but I'd say this outfit suits me to a T." She performed a small pirouette, letting the ruffles in her dress flutter and flurry around her.

"For sure..." The girl muttered but could not stop her mouth from stretching into a grin. She decided it was time to move the conversation away from clothing and on to something more important. "Could you tell what's going on please?"

"Of course I can darling. That is my job after all. Right, well, I'm Marica and I'll be your angel today. I'm guessing you've already figured out you're dead?"

"Um... Yeah." She answered awkwardly.

"Oh good! That saves a lot of trouble. Let me just check your files before we move on..." Marica began rummaging through filing cabinets down the first aisle and almost immediately pulled out a piece of paper with all of its documentation neatly typed out. "Your current name is Hannah, correct?"

"Yes."

"Age 20? Medical school student, studying to become a psychiatrist? Daughter of Keith and Jane Holldear, sibling of Max Holldear? Saved the life of a cat, a bird and took in an abandoned dog? Acted as peacekeeper for both family and friends? Worked with autistic children at the local learning centre?"

Hannah replied with a nod for each question. She knew she was dead but this didn't stop her from being considerably disturbed by the situation. This was not the norm for her.

"And your final act..." The blonde looked up from the sheet, a small smile touching her lips. It was unlike her earlier dazzling smiles. The way she looked at her now almost conveyed feelings of understanding. "You saved the lives of the children you worked with in a fire before inhaling to much smoke and collapsing. You were taken to hospital but could not be saved."

"So that's what happened..." Hannah pondered aloud. "I can't remember much of what happened after I went into the centre."

"Ah, yes! You were quite the hero!" Marica switched back to her initial buoyant disposition. "I'm sure you rallied up a good total of 'virtue points'."

"What now?"

"Virtue points, darling." She repeated. "Basically they are what you earn throughout your life through doing acts of good. With every good deed you receive points (a lot like money); depending on the gravity of your charitable act the amount of points you get will be affected. And I must say in your life time, albeit it being short, you made quite the sum."

"So if it's like money, I'm assuming I'll be spending this on something." Hannah theorised.

Marica nodded vigorously, delighted that her customer was being so receptive. "Mmhm! You heard of reincarnation?"

"Yeah..."

"Great! Well, you see, we have this thing going. All the angels are part of it. It really is a marvellous system! If you have enough points you can pick out your perfect next life! Your perfect heaven, if you like...but there are certain rules I have to follow."

"So... I can pick anything, anything at all?"

"Anything."

"And all it costs is some points? I don't have to give you anything else?"

"Just the points."

"Then I would like to have my life as Hannah Holldear back please."

"Ack!" Marica, who had been merrily bobbing up and down on the spot, agreeing with the girl wholeheartedly then froze, her expression utterly horror-stricken. She subsequently began to shake her head with an alarming force that sent blonde tresses flying all over the place. "No, no, no, no... That is one big fat no-no! It's not allowed! You heard me when I said there were certain rules? This is one of them..."

Hannah's genuine happiness plummeted down from the seventh heaven. The crestfallen look the girl gave Marica was enough to make hesitate. She bit her lip and shuffled around on the balls of her feet as she argued aloud. "Nope! I said no. It's a rule. Sorry darling, but I'm afraid you're going to have to choose something else. It can be virtually anything...and keep in mind I say 'virtually' here. You can go back to your world at any point in time. You could be an animal, a boy, or even a tree! Oooh, I know! What about a different universe entirely. What about-"

"My family!" Hannah interrupted, which she felt guilty for but continued nevertheless. "What about my family! My friends! I didn't get to say goodbye to any of them. How are they going to feel?"

The celestial woman let out a sigh that suggested she had seen more years than her face or personality showed. "I'm going to be blunt with you here Hannah. People die. It's something unavoidable and not a millisecond goes by in my job without something or someone dying. Humans like to think dying is rare but it isn't. They only realise this when it happens to them."

Hannah was exceptionally astute when it came to deciphering even the smallest expressions, be it in the tone of voice, face or body language, she had always been able to pick up on these thing. She had quite often been told she would be a good detective, particularly when it came to making sense of human actions. However she didn't like the idea of constantly being around crime and evil. Yet she still managed to follow a career path that she could use this skill in; that being a psychiatrist.

Her talent was slowly beginning to kick in as she watched the pretty blonde. The hardened look in her azure eyes gave it all away. She was speaking with experience. However where that experience was from was a mystery. But Hannah wasn't here to pry.

"All I wanted to say was that when someone dies, you can be sure it will take time but people will eventually get over it. It's something everyone has to face."

"I suppose..." Hannah knew all of this already but it was nice to hear it in someone else's words. She had been told in medical school that the job of a psychiatrist more often than not requires you just to be a shoulder to cry on or simply someone to lend an ear. It was something she had a lot of experience in, even before her training.

"So... How many points do I have?"

And Marica was happy again, beaming at Hannah like she hadn't just given her a serious speech. "I'm so glad you asked darling! 572 points plus your left over 61 points from the life before your last. 633 in total! I can hardly believe you got so much in only 20 years. A brilliant feat! Did you know the average person will only earn around that many points after 60 years of living?"

"I can't say I did..." Hannah raised an eyebrow at Marica's flippant manners. From what she had gathered of her job as an angle so far was to simply to make a sales pitch for a new life and then send the deceased on their way. The whole thing itself was queer and not completely like any religion's idea of what happens after death. There were so many theories and beliefs yet no one had got it spot on. When Hannah was alive she had liked to think that there was a heaven, however if someone had told her she was going to be met by a not so serene embodiment of an angel in a lurid pink dress down the aisle of her local supermarket, she probably would have checked them in to be her first patient when she graduated school.

It was a good thing Hannah was open-minded.

"So what was that you were saying about new universes earlier?"

"Oh yes! Universes! I could go on forever about them-" Hannah short Marica a pointed look. "-but to cut a long story short, as an angel I have the ability to open and create new universes. We could spend ages creating a new universe, or I could choose one randomly from our data base or we could even have a look at some fictional works. How about that? Any books or films you like?"

Her interest peaked. "That actually sounds pretty cool..." For a moment Hannah's eyes gained a childish gleam, full of innocent desire. "I've always wanted magic."

The angel groaned loudly. "Not another one wanting to go to the world of _Harry Potter_."

"I like _Harry Potter _but I don't think I'd want to rely on a stick of wood... What about _Skulduggery Pleasant_? No, I don't like those faceless ones... _Gone_! No... Oh, the _Golden Compass_."

The girl continued to muse aloud, greatly amusing Marica. The apparently level-headed girl was not so level-headed. She gasped loudly. "A manga! A manga! There are so many good manga universes like _Gintama_, _Fairy Tail_, _One Piece..._ THAT'S IT!"

Marica almost fell over at Hannah's outburst. She clutched at her frantic heart and asked, slightly alarmed, "What?"

"One Piece! I want to go to the OP universe."

"One piece... Alright! I can do that. Follow me." Marica lead Hannah down to the section of the shop that sold comics, magazines and manga. "That universe is actually more popular outside of Japan than in. I was surprised when my co-worker Dafari told me. I don't know if that's because the Japanese just have more common sense than the rest of the Earth or if they had better things to spend their points on..."

They came to a halt by a rack of manga. Marica pulled out a pocket-sized notepad and pen, clicked it and poised its point on the paper, ready to write. "Now then, I'm thinking you want to make some customisations to your next life, unless you want it to be random that is..."

"No, I'll choose!" Hannah replied quickly. "What do I have to specify?"

"Well there are certain things that have to change when you are reborn, for example your parentage (quite an obvious one there), however the most important thing is your name. For human reincarnation a name is far more important than it would be any other living thing, as humans tend to be the most destructive and evil."

Hannah understood that there are wicked people around and that a lot of misfortune is caused by them. But there is so much good too. Surely this point system proved just that. The blonde apparently could tell what she was thinking as she rectified what she had said. "Not that everyone is bad... That's not what I meant."

"I know. Don't worry."

"Uh, good... Well, any ideas for your name?"

"Not at all..." The girl shook her head.

"Would you mind then if I gave you a name?" Marica enquired.

"Go for it." She gave her approval but still felt slightly dubious all the same.

Marica beamed at her and exclaimed almost immediately, as if she had wanted to say it for some time. "Aniko! It's a name from my home country. It means favour and grace."

"You know what?" Hannah smiled. "I actually quite like that name. I'd also like to change my hair and eye colour, but could you keep everything else the same."

"Got it!" The angel jotted down her request, feeling over the moon that her name choice had been accepted. "Colour preferences?"

"Your choice. Oh and one more thing," Hannah began as a sudden, crazy thought came to her out of the blue. She hoped it would be allowed. "I want to be one of those people who remember their previous lives. I want to still be able to remember everything that has happened to me as Hannah Holldear. My memories are too important for me to just forget."

"I can't do that!" Marica exclaimed, looking very taken aback.

"Why not?" Hannah demanded. "I've seen them on T.V. before. So surely it is allowed."

"Yes but that only happens when an angel makes a mistake." She justified.

"Do you have a rule book?"

"Of course I have a rule book; every angel has one." Marica sniffed indignantly, "But if you're going to suggest I don't know my job and that I should read it, you're being very rude."

Hannah sighed. "I'm not trying to be rude but could you still check it. I just want to be sure..."

"Fine but don't expect anything to come from this. I'm just doing this to prove a point." A book materialized from nothing into Marica's hands. She flicked through its pages, stopping every now and then.

"This can't be right..." Marica skimmed through the book again, and again. "It's not here! But it's got to be here!"

"Marica..." Hannah tentatively took the book from the angel and set it down on a nearby shelf. "There isn't a rule about it, is there?"

The woman looked at her crossly, with small tears pooling in the corners of her eyes and wearing a pout. "No..."

"Don't sulk now just because you were wrong."

Marica faced her back to Hannah, "I'm not sulking."

_She's defiantly sulking._ Hannah told herself. _What a strange lady..._

A moment later and Marica burst out, turning to her customer with an infantile temper. "Ok! Fine! I'm sulking. I'm sorry... Please can we move on?"

"Sure..." She replied simply, not wanting to cause more problems. "Uh, this is my last request. I really, really want a devil fruit power. Any power at all. Not too stupid though like an ability to...turn into a sock or something."

"I don't think it's possible to get a devil fruit that will turn you into a sock..."

"Well... Good! No socks. It has to be a little bit cool. No actually, it would be great if it looked bad-ass. Can I have a really awesome, bad-ass devil fruit please?"

Marica chuckled lightly. "Yes, yes. I'll give you a super cool power."

"Thank you!" Hannah cried, almost hugging the angel.

"I think we're just about ready for you to start your next life; there are just a few things I would like to go over before I send you on your way." Marica glanced down at the notes she had made. "I can fulfil your demand of remembering your previous life however if I am going to do that I cannot reincarnate you into a foetus' body. The information would be too much for the developing body to cope with and you would die after a few years of being born. The only way I can do this is by placing you into the world at the age you are at now. Is that alright?"

"It's fine."

Angel's expression darkened into something somewhat scary as she said, "There are conditions as well. If you reveal any of this to anyone I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock you of a lot of points. And you don't want to know what happens to the people in debt when they get to their next lives."

Hannah subconsciously rubbed both her arms as a shiver ran through her body, leaving her feeling strangely cold. "No, I'm sure I don't."

"Another warning: because you are going in at age 20 you receive your new memories for that life. You won't have lived it but you will remember living it. You're going to have two different lives inside you. It's a lot for one mind to contain."

"It sounds dangerous..."

"It could be and that's why I want you to take this." She tossed Hannah a small silver whistle on a chain. It looked similar to her old dog whistle she had used with Roody, the stray she had taken in. She had utilized it to call him back when they went on walks. "Use it and wherever you are, you can summon me to your side. Although I would use it with caution – calling me with other people around you is not a good idea."

She sported the whistle around her neck – it was pretty in its own way – it was like an unusual piece of jewellery. "Anything else?"

"Just your devil fruit." A tall milkshake glass appeared that held a thick creamy drink. There was whipped cream, shaved chocolate and fresh strawberry slices layered up on top. It was mouth-wateringly appetizing. Marica pushed the drink into Hannah's hands. "Here. That's your devil fruit."

"Oh wow... You've really gone all out with this. Will it still work as a liquid?"

"Uh-huh. Drink up."

Hannah licked her lips. "Cheers." She raised her glass high before taking a swig of the smoothie.

"Bleck!" She spluttered, pulling the beverage away from her lips. "It's disgusting!"

"That's why I tried to make it nicer for you."

"I should have known it wasn't going to taste as good as it looked. Devil fruits aren't famous for their taste after all." Hannah grimaced at it. She felt a little bit sick. "I've got to finish it though."

She downed the devil fruit as quickly as possible. She ran her tongue around her gums to check for any residue (fortunately it all seemed to be gone). She huffed loudly, "I'm finished! Thank god! Is there a god?"

Marica placed her hands on her hips in a haughty manner, "I'm not inclined to tell you. It's something humans can only decide on themselves."

Hannah eyed at her sceptically and then smirked. "You don't know yourself, do you?"

The angel gasped dramatically, raising a delicate hand to her chest and taking a step back. She looked scandalized to be asked such a question. "O-Of course I know! I'm just not allowed to say! I know lots of other things too. Ask away. I'm sure I'll be able to answer."

Hannah began her interrogation. "How did the dinosaurs really die?"

"Alien invasion."

"Are humans actually the smartest creatures on Earth?"

"At the time when you lived there, but other animals have the potential to overtake them in the future. Although I'm not going to give out any spoilers."

"Most recent dead celebrity you've met?"

"Michael Jackson! Everyone at the office was so jealous."

Strangely enough this was the answer Hannah found herself interested in. _Ah, well... I'm a sucker when it comes to studying the human mind_.

"What did he choose as his next life?"

Marica smiled and tapped her nose. "Customer confidentiality I'm afraid."

"Ah." Hannah nodded her head in approval. She could respect that. "I suppose I better get going then. I don't want to use up any more of your time."

"Don't worry about that darling. I have an eternity of time, quite literally." She sighed. "But you are right. I probably should be sending you on your way. Right, all you need to do to get to your new life is to touch something linked to it. In this case," She pulled out a copy of the latest edition of One Piece from the manga rack, "you'll need this."

The blonde offered it to her. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Hannah reached forward and took the volume into her own hands.

The instant Hannah made contact with the paper that same ethereal light she had seen earlier began to cloud her vision. The manga passed through her hands and crumpled as it hit the floor. Her body was fading just as fast as the light came. She felt ghostlike. What was she saying? At that time she was an actual ghost.

"Don't forget to whistle if you ever need me," Maricia paused and gave an over exaggerated wink. "Aniko."

"I won't!" The girl called out, waving happily, as the brightness encompassed her entirely. Marica was gone. All that could be seen was pure light.

* * *

**I'm so nervous about this story; it's my first one that doesn't have anything to do with _Fairy Tail_. This is a big step for me guys!**

**I'm assuming that most of the readers for this will be mostly be different from people I may see normally, so 'Hi new pink snail readers...' that sound so weird.**

**Anyway, reasons for writing this: well, I love one piece and I've read so many fics with OCs and a lot of them seem to be getting quite cliche now. There are some real gems out there though. I suppose that's what I'm aiming for. I just really want to do something new but at the same time using an old ****favorite, instead of one of those 'OC was sucked into a TV', because as much as I love them, it makes no sense. I wanted to base my plot on something, not realistic, but based on some sort of fantasy reasoning. Am I being lucid enough? Probably not... Oh well!**

**Marica- Pet form of Hungarian Maria, meaning "obstinacy, rebelliousness" or "their rebellion."**

**Aniko- Hungarian form of Greek Hanna, meaning "favor; grace."**

**The "T" in this case refers backs to tittle, as in biblical usage here: "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." ****The tittle was a mark above a letter, the smallest of parts. So, "Suits me to a T" means there is not even one insignificant detail that isn't right. (Symbolic, right? ;D)**

**Hope you enjoyed the read!  
**


	2. The Strawhats

**Just a warning: This is where the swearing begins. Its rated T for a reason.**

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**You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly?**

* * *

A scrawny teen, whose appearance would deceive many, shot out an elongated arm grabbing onto a lion shaped figurehead that had the uncanny resemblance of a sunflower. This young man was a captain, and not just any old captain; he was the captain of a renowned pirate crew. StrawHat, as he was known to most of the world, but to those he knew him better, he was just Luffy.

Luffy was ecstatic. Sanji had just prepared the most mouth-watering meal, and of course Luffy had eaten it so quick that he hardly had enough time to taste the delicious food. This had earned him a powerful kick to the head from the cook as he barked, "Food needs to be savoured, idiot!"

At which point Franky ran in, wearing his infamous Speedos and shouting something about a "Super Island" up ahead. The captain sprang from his seat ignoring Sanji's yelling and ran towards the front of the ship to get his first glimpse of the mysterious island. So naturally Luffy felt happy.

He leaned out over the dangerous blue sea, his arm coiled around the figurehead as an emergency lifeline. A small Stretch of land could be seen in the distance, its golden grasslands and rolling hills already visible from his perch. He wondered what adventures waited for him. His grin made it obvious that he was eager to find out.

"Luffy! Get down here and help unfurl the sails!" Nami hollered from the lawn deck where she was stationed, commanding most of the crew. The Thousand Sunny suddenly jolted upon the waves causing the captain to lose his balance and fall. Fortunately his arm was firmly attached to the ship, saving him from a watery grave.

Nami shrieked openly at the crew. "Quickly! We're about to cross over from strong winds to weak. Usopp, what are you doing?! Stop hiding and help already! If we don't catch the wind here, we can't sail past the current that will pull us into those very sharp, dangerous rocks. Do you want that?!"

Usopp stammered, his knees buckling in fear. "N-n-no! I help right away!"

"Ah~! So perilous... I should sing a song to motivate you all!" Brook trilled as he pulled out his violin with a flourish.

"You help too!" Usopp and Nami cried, slapping at the air in frustration.

The blonde cook hovered over their crew's first mate who, to his anger, was sleeping. Sanji was fully intent on fulfilling every one of the navigator's whims, never minding the fact that their lives were potentially at risk. So in order to do this he would wake the sleeping swordsman. "Oi, shitty Marimo! Stop sleeping! Get your lazy ass up and help Nami-san."

Zoro gave a tired groan and rolled to face away from the chef. Sanji growled in anger and lashed out, kicking him hard in the side. Zoro awoke with a start, immediately unsheathing his swords. "Get the hell off Ero-cook!" They began butting heads like wild bulls, fighting for dominance.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Sanji pushed forwards.

"I'll talk to you how I like!" Zoro fought back.

"LUFFY! Where have you been?!" Nami yelled over the din of arguments, screaming and crashing waves as their captain joined them on deck.

"I nearly fell off the ship and then I saw a HUGE fish. It opened its mouth every time it came near me; it had pointy teeth. I think it was trying to talk to me." Luffy explained.

"It was trying to eat you!" She exclaimed. Nami could hardly believe Luffy was their captain sometimes.

"He looked really tasty so I asked him if he wanted to be cooked by Sanji. I tried to pick him up but then he swam away..."

"Why would anyone willingly become your food?!" The trembling Chopper who clung to Nico Robin's leg, posed a rhetorical question to Luffy.

"To make me stronger so I can become the pirate king."

"You weren't meant to answer that!" The little doctor wailed, tugging at his antlers. "We're all going to die!"

"Relax Chopper. The worse that can happen will be our limbs getting torn off by the jagged rock face." Robin stated evenly, apparently unaffected by their situation.

'How can you say that so calmly?!'

Everyone's attention was drawn to Nami as she practically screamed, in fury or fear nobody knew, maybe both. She had run to the helm and was trying desperately to redirect the Thousand Sunny. It seemed that in the time the crew's antics had taken place they had completely forgotten the tasks Nami had delegated and were now already caught in the treacherous rocky current. They were on a straight collision course.

"Somebody do something!" Nami cried.

"Since I'm already awake I might as well help." Zoro said, stretching out his limbs, relaxing the muscles that had become unyielding in sleep.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette coolly. "Don't think your stealing all the glory. I'll clear the path for us. Did you hear that Nami-swan, Robin-chwan~!"

"Sound like fun!" Luffy bounded forwards to join the progression. The three most formidable StrawHats were now assembled, ready to destroy whatever got in their way. Their presence alone was something to behold.

They stood at the front of the ship, their eyes fixed on the rock mound that peeked out of the sea. The crag loomed over them as it drew closer; they would attack now. Zoro, Sanji and Luffy leapt high into the air however at that moment they were thrown back. They yelled out of shock when a tremendous force pushed them back against the sails (which Usopp, Brook and Chopper had luckily unfurled before this event). The Thousand Sunny soared through the air; flying high over the sea mountain and then arriving safely back on the water's surface.

Without any momentum suspending them in the air the monster trio plummeted to the deck below, landing in a messy heap. Luffy, being a rubber man, shot up straight away as his body had absorbed most of the impact, laughing jovially. As for the other two, they were not so fortunate as to be made of rubber. "That was so cool! Let's do it again!" Zoro and Sanji groaned loudly in disagreement.

The rest of the crew, who were all fine albeit a bit dazed and windswept, made their way over to the three young men. "Are you ok?" Chopper asked, checking there bodies for any injuries.

"Yeah." Zoro grunted as he got up, recovering his poise that had been momentarily lost.

"Hey guys! What did you think of that?" Franky appeared on deck, striking a pose and looking very pleased with himself. "I used the Coup de Burst to get over those rocks. Wasn't it... SUPER!"

"YES!" Luffy enthused, giving the cyborg a high-five.

"NO!" Sanji shouted. "Next time warn us before you pull a stunt like that!"

"I quite enjoyed the surprise. It got my blood pumping, although I have no blood to be pumping! Yhohohohohoho!"

"I for one agree with Sanji." Nami sulked, still fixing her hair from its dishevelled appearance.

"Aw, you're no fun..." Franky sighed. "Ah well, we'll be at that Island soon. I'm really running low on cola. Hopefully they'll have some."

"Hey, what's that?" Luffy had resumed his usual position atop the Lion head and was squinting ahead at their destination. "That big building?"

Usopp pulled his goggles down in order to get a closer look at what Luffy was talking about. With a shriek he let his goggles ping back up and hit his forehead. He wailed dramatically and shank to the ground dejectedly.

"What is it Usopp?" Nami snatched specs away from the sharpshooter and peered through the lenses. She joined Usopp in his lamenting and cried miserably. "A marine base. Why do we always go to the dangerous islands?"

"It looks quite fortified too. It's very built-up in comparison to its town. How peculiar..." Robin observed also borrowing the goggles.

"We're defiantly going to end up fighting. There's no doubt about it. With you people there's no way we won't." Those few members of the crew who were more safety conscious griped, although this kind of thing was pretty standard for them now.

Luffy raised his iconic straw hat and placed it on his head. His mind was full of wonders and excitement. "Shishishi! It'll be an adventure!"

* * *

**Here's our introduction of the Strawhats. Next time we'll see the OC in the OP universe.**

**Thank you for the follows, favorites and comments so far. I didn't think so many people would see my story so quickly.**


	3. The New Me

**You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly?**

* * *

"Aniko!"

Her face met the hard floor with a thud. "Shit..." She slapped a lazy hand to the aggrieved area and groggily opened her eyes. Wood was so much less forgiving than carpet...

She was in a room; it was a room that was very familiar to her, yet it was her first time stepping foot in here (at least it felt like it was). She knew it was her bedroom. This knowledge was backed up by the fact her legs were elevated on to the mattress from which she fell and were tangled in a messy array of different sheets and fuzzy blankets.

The whole room itself was very light and airy and gave off a warm homey feel. Sunlight poured in through a slightly open window, letting a gentle breeze push the curtains back and forth. The walls were painted an elegant cream colour and the wooden floor almost sparkled as if it had been recently cleaned. The space was relatively neat. _That's one difference between Hannah and the new me already. If this was my bedroom back home the floor would be covered in food and underwear. _But then she remembered. _This world is my new home now._

"Aniko! Aniko, wake up!"

She removed herself from her awkward position on the floor. She stood and stretched. "Pa! I don't work on Saturdays. Why the hell are you interrupting my sleep-in?" She automatically shouted before she could work out what was happening.

Her bedroom door burst open a second later. A short eccentric looking man in a lion suit flew through the open door, stumbling over his tail upon entry. Aniko had never met him before but she already knew he was her new father. "Aniko!" He gasped.

"Papa, what's wrong?" She knew something was up the moment she saw his face. If her new memories served her correctly, he was supposed to be a jovial, daft man. At the moment he looked fairly distressed.

"The Garters! You know the couple who own the pawn shop. They were found dead this morning... a marine sent a message just now to tell me the news. You've been called in to work today."

"That's terrible..." Aniko murmured, her eyebrows furrowing together in bewilderment. _Why would anyone want to kill the Garters?_ "I'll head off straight away."

"Alright. Stay safe..." Her father stroked his synthetic mane uneasily.

"I always am." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before ushering him out of her room.

The door closed shut and Aniko stood there awkwardly for a moment. "So what exactly is my job?" She closed her eyes and searched her memory. They snapped open as she exclaimed, "A Detective!"

_Not only that... I'm a detective for the Marines. _"Oh my god!" Aniko panicked and ran over to her dressing table. "What else has Marica done to me?"

She sat down in front of her mirror and stared. She tilted her head to the left, to the right, and then let out a sob, "I'm an albino!"

She tugged at her white shoulder length hair in dismay. _Why did Marica choose this?_ Aniko decided she wanted to ask the angel herself. She looked down and sure enough the silver whistle she had been given still hung around her neck. She raised it to her lips and forced her breath through the device. Like her dog whistle, it made no sound perceivable to the human ears. At least that was her assumption. If not it was defective.

Just as Aniko began to wonder if it really was broken, a flash of white appeared, momentarily blinding her. When the light died away she saw before her a very small but just as outlandish Marica. She hovered just above her eye level using beautiful feathery wings that she had not had before. She was now slightly bigger than Aniko's hand and wore a stereotypical outfit that you might expect of someone like _Sherlock Homes_. "Ready for your first official day on the job, detective?"

"No!"

Marica cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Huh? What's the matter?"

"Well it could be the fact it looks like I dipped my head in a toilet full of bleach or it could be that I'm a marine. I don't know, what do you think Marica?" She said with her tone full of irony, grinding her teeth.

"Uh... Could you repeat the question?"

Aniko slapped her palm against her forehead, feeling very exasperated. "I'm annoyed at you Marica. Sure maybe some of it's my fault; I let you choose my hair and eye colour. But I did not ask to become a Marine! I wanted to choose which path I would follow. I wanted to make my own life."

"I thought you looked nice..." The angel said sadly.

"I look freaky!" She stomped her foot to demonstrate her anger. "Every time I look in the mirror I'm going to see these creepy things." She indicated her two pink irises, almost poking her eyes out.

"But they're such a pretty colour! Pink suits you." Marica protested.

"I should have known you were going to choose something weird. I'm surprised you didn't give me pink hair."

"Well I was at first but then I changed my mind."

"Thank God for that!"

"Plus I thought this life's circumstances suited you very well." Marcia added to strengthen her defence. "The girl who was in this life before you had a similar mindset as you, with some slight differences..."

"Wait, wait, wait... What are you going on about now? Someone in this life before me... What does that mean?"

"My, my! So curious! But that's why I like you." She pulled the cheeks of a disgruntled Aniko in an annoying overly familiar way. "To me, an angel, all timelines of existing life forms in all universes are completed; except for my own (it never ends). As the timelines are completed I cannot simply create another living being and throw you on to the latest time, as there is none. Instead we must modify the universes to suit our customers, thus the reason fate is not sealed, and it can be changed by a customer's decision. In your case there was already an albino marine detective living here before you. She stayed on the island she was born on without a devil fruit and without the knowledge of the different universes. But she looked a lot like you; her genes were quite similar (she even thought like you). I can't change too many things in the universe so she was the perfect choice to match what you, the customer, wanted."

Aniko's brain was trying to keep up with all this new information. It was very difficult to get to grips with. "Her soul has now been carried over to another life and now you are free to quite literally step into her shoes. But you do this after the other Aniko has lived 20 years of her life normally. She has already developed as her own person, gotten her own job, her own tastes, relationships, traits...everything she could be. And now you've entered her body and taken over as a dominating soul. There is more Hannah in Aniko now but this is still her body and mind. You will still be like her in some ways. You have two sets of memories inside you; 40 years worth of memories in total and they will be clashing. Do you feel it?"

"Do you mean this splitting headache and the urge to throw up?"

"Er, no. That's a hangover. Aniko had a little too much to drink last night."

"I'm a heavy drinker. Fuck."

"Aniko also likes to use foul language every once in a while..."

"That's just great! Is there anything else about 'Aniko' that I need to know?"

"If you don't remember everything about the Aniko part of you now, it's probably best you find it out gradually. It may be very disorienting and distressing for you. And the Aniko and Hannah part of you will be battling inside you for dominance. It should generally be the Hannah part that has more control but old Aniko will slip out often, as I've already seen... But with strict discipline you can direct yourself to whichever personality you want more."

"Right." Aniko understood most of what she had just heard. "I think I get it..."

"Fan-tas-tic!" Marica sang. "Ahhh... It feels great to be teaching. I am superior in knowledge! HA HA HA!"

"Because I can sure tell that by the way you're acting..." Aniko muttered feeling a vexation building within her that she would not normally feel.

"ANIKOOOOO!" The less than manly voice of her father could be heard warbling from down stairs. "Now they've sent that scrawny ginger marine here because you're taking too long. He was standing on the door step for ages so I invited him in for an omelette. He's still just as weird as usual. He said he doesn't want to try on my outfit."

"I'm not weird..." Another voice cried.

Aniko let out a bark of laughter. "You're right! That is weird Dad! Tell Yommers I'd love to see him in a lion suit. He'd look quite dashing."

"I'm right here! I can hear you! And please stop calling me Yommers, Aniko." Her assistant/apprentice detective, Yommers, aka Yona, protested. He sounded rather uncomfortable. Just the way Aniko liked it.

She sniggered to herself again whilst shrugging on the last piece of her pristine, whiter than her hair, official detective uniform. _Come to think of it, I've never actually heard of detectives in the Marines. Was it mentioned in the Manga or Anime? I can't remember. _Aniko turned to Marica, wearing a stern expression. "I'm going to ask you to come along with me now-"

Marica squealed in delight.

"BUT," Aniko raised her voice, "I expect you to stay very, very quiet and not draw any attention to yourself. Understood?"

The tiny winged angel motioned zipping her lips in response. Aniko offered her the free space of her uniform's lower pocket, which Marica slipped herself into. The blonde snuggled down into the soft fabric, poking her head out the top to allow her to observe whatever events may come into play.

After nipping into the bathroom for a quick cleanup, Aniko thundered down the stairs; every step she took she attempted to make heavier than the last. On the final step she jumped high into the air and met the floor with more force than the poor boards could cope with. The wood gave way beneath her feet. She met her father and Yona with a small wave and greeting, "Hi Yommers! Fancy pulling me out of the floor?"

The question would be better asked to someone else, as the lanky boy was by her feet reprimanding her for how carless she had been. "Pa?"

"Righto sweetie." The older man hooked his arms under her pits, pulling her out of the hole instantly. "I've wanted to change the flooring for awhile anyway."

"Oooo! Can we get carpet? It makes falling so much nicer."

"What about a rubber floor?"

"Even better."

Her Dad and Yona were Aniko's favourite people. Her father was just amazing, kind and hilarious in every retrospect. And Yona was someone Aniko enjoyed teasing. When she had first met him he had been a nervous wreck. But as soon as Aniko had recruited him he had become much better- he was a determined young upstart- although he could still be fairly timid at times and it was still just as easy to pull his leg.

Aniko dusted herself off and straightened her livery. If there was one rule she would make sure to comply with in her job, it would be to keep herself and her uniform looking tidy. Her boss was an extreme neat-freak. It was something she had wanted to address a number of times but knew better than to lecture a superior, even if he annoyed the hell out of her.

"You're looking rather dapper today Yommers. New haircut?" Aniko leaned in and sniffed at his tufts of unruly red hair. "New shampoo too! Smells like kiwi; they're my favourite fruit. Oh Yommers, you do know how to impress a girl." She batted her eyes and waved her hand in a way she would save purely for Yona.

"Oh! Let me smell." Mr Rakii joined his daughter in the act of sniffing the top of her assistant's head. It was quite the spectacle now that her Dad was copying. She could never be quite sure when her Dad was serious or joking though.

Yona's whole face was flushed crimson as he tried to wriggle out of the cage that was Aniko and her father. "Please! Aniko, we must get going!"

Aniko immediately sobered up when she remembered the Garter's deaths. "Right, the new case... I forgot. Sorry. Let's go now."

"You're not staying for omelettes?"

"No sorry Papa. I'll eat later."

"I'll have some-" Aniko slapped a hand to Marica's tiny face. She had completely forgotten the angel was still there.

"What was that?" Both Yona and her father began to look around questioningly for the source of the voice.

"Uh... It was my den-den mushi!" _Quick thinking. Smooth talking. It's what I'm best at._

"You bought one? Great! Finally I can contact you without coming all the way over here." Yona said.

"You know you like coming over here anyway Yommers. What should it matter if I have a den-den mushi or not? You're the only Marine I'd let enter my domain." Aniko wiggled her eyebrows suggestively for only Yona to see.

It seems he got her euphemism because his blush became even more pronounced. He gave an embarrassed coughed. "We really need to be going..."

* * *

**Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!**


	4. Being Different

**Warning: There's a bit of gore in this chapter. Probably more in the future.**

* * *

**You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly?**

* * *

"I've already said I'm sorry Yommers. What else could I possibly say?"

Aniko and Yona walked together through the almost empty streets of Tanner Town, the largest populated area on Tandora Island, which still wasn't very large. The island itself wasn't awfully big, thus news would spread quickly. No doubt the reason there was no one out and about; they would have heard about the murders. _It just shows how much faith the people have in their local Marine base... Not much._

"I just wish you would treat me seriously like you do with everyone else." The redhead sighed, passing her a small bread roll. "Here."

"Thanks. And you should feel privileged. Not many people get to see this side of me. Only a true friend can. That's you and my Papa." She tore off a strip of crust and popped it into her mouth.

"I'm honoured." He said dryly. "But you know the only reason you have just two friends, one of them being your Dad, is because you don't put in the effort to make more."

"I'm lazy..." She shrugged. "If the other person is either scared of me or doesn't make the effort then I won't make the effort. They're just not worth it."

"You're hypocritical... and no one's scared of you."

"Pfft! Please, can you say you weren't scared of me when we first met?"

"You were holding a gun to my head."

"Forget that bit for a minute." She stopped walking. "Look into my eyes. What do you see?"

Yona stopped a few paces ahead and then turned to stare questioningly at her. "Er... Pupils, tear ducts, veins, eyelashes-"

"No Yona!" She snapped. "I mean the colour... It's not normal. If you're not exactly like everyone else society holds it against you."

He took note of the fact she used his real name. "Our Imperfections are our perfections."

"Hey don't use that phrase on me! That's what I told you ages ago. I'm fine if people are going to be a little bit on edge around me, and only a few people in town are nowadays anyway. I'm not trying to be consoled. I'm just trying to prove a point. Oh, we're here..."

They stood outside a small but welcoming building. It had been built a few years back and the Garters had bought the place with the objective to set up shop. Apparently they had been travelling all around the Grand Line collecting and selling wares wherever they went however they grew tired of it. In the end they had just wanted to settle down. _Now look what's happened to them._

A marine Aniko recognised but couldn't quite generate a name for was standing guard at entrance of the house. He saw them and stepped aside, saluting her. "Detective Rakii! Please, go right in."

She was slightly surprised by the level of formality nevertheless she took it in her stride, nodding and then going into the shop. Yona followed her in.

The two stopped once inside the threshold and took a moment to observe their surroundings. The first thing that stuck out to Aniko when she walked in was how neat everything looked. Like no murder had taken place. She had only ever been in here once or twice before but she knew that nothing big had changed from when she had. All sorts of knickknacks, trash and treasures hung on the walls or were displayed in large glass cabinets.

Marines were patrolling around the room, some chatting, and some looking around. Aniko tapped the nearest one on the shoulder. She gasped and nearly knocked over the antique china figure she had been examining. She caught it just before it could hit the ground and let out a sigh of relief. "D-dective! You startled me..."

Aniko could remember this lady. _Her bosses right-hand woman and explosives expert, Pepper the klutz. _She was both pretty and young, not to mention she got good pay. From afar you may think she would have the men flocking to her. That may have been the case if it wasn't for a few certain quirks of hers, such as: clumsiness, occasional introversion and a really creepy infatuation with their Captain.

"Pepper, can you give me the details of the situation?"

"Um... W-well, a resident of Tanner Town informed us this morning of the d-de-de-"

"Deaths." Yona supplied helpfully.

"Yes. And well, we questioned the resident. She seemed pretty unsuspicious, she was just badly shaken. Then we came here and found nothing out of the ordinary except for when we went upstairs and found... you know."

"Has anything been moved? Is everything the same as when you arrived?" Aniko asked.

"I t-told the men not to touch anything until y-you got here."

"Good. Please keep it that way Pepper. Yommers, with me." She and her partner left Pepper to continue probing the strange figurine. They passed through to the back of the house into a kitchen which once again looked perfectly normal. However when Aniko turned to the stairs she got a very bad feeling.

"We better go up." She told Yona, who nodded and gulped loudly. They proceeded cautiously, even though Aniko was pretty sure there would be no threat waiting for them.

Upstairs was quiet. Perfectly still. The air was thick with tension, making it hard to breath. There were two doors. They both stood slightly ajar.

Aniko picked the closest door. She pushed it open slowly, not ready for the sight inside. The whole room was painted red in blood. Entrails, organs and remainders of skin were smeared all over the bed and floors. Everything in the room had been pulverised. The bed, wardrobe, shelves and the bodies were all flattened, leaving splinters of wood scattered and feathers floating gracefully in the stagnate air. The only part of those people left identifiable were their skeletons (and even the bones were somewhat skewed.) The couple's deathly white skeletal hands were entwined together. They were with each other until the very end. _Till death do us part..._

Yona took one look and ran from the room. Aniko heard retching outside in the hallway.

She could hardly blame her assistant for not being able to stomach this. She hardly could. She had seen the dead before but it had never been as horrendous as this, not in her previous life, nor in the entirety of her detective career.

"Augh!" She clamped a hand over her nose. She had gotten a whiff of the rotting flesh. It was an insufferable smell. These deaths weren't too recent.

The nausea engulfed her until she could no longer bare being in there. She fled the room and shut the door firmly behind her. She took large gulps of fresh air, glad to be rid of the horror that lay behind that door.

Yona sat at the top of the stairs, ashen faced and shaken badly. He was trembling and his breathing was fast. "Yona?"

"I'm fine." He rasped. "Don't let me slow you down Aniko. Carry on without me."

"Alright." Aniko agreed. She ventured into the next room and to her relief it was not like the last. This room had been ransacked but remained free of dead bodies. The walls were an ocean blue colour and had an array of bright fish, sea kings and boats painted on to match. There was a small cot in the centre of the room shaped like a ship; it was covered in many stuffed toys and blankets. This looked very much like a child's bedroom.

Aniko felt something tugging at her top. "Aniko... Are you alright?"

Marica fluttered out from her hiding place and landed on her shoulder. "Of course I am." Aniko replied. "I can handle it."

"But this case... its serious right?"

"You're right about that. Nothing like this has ever happened before on Tandora. I've been called to investigate murders before but they've always been on neighbouring islands. It takes someone with a lot of balls to pull off a stunt like this right underneath the nose of a Marine base." Aniko began to search the room. She looked under the bed first.

"Or someone who's confident in their own abilities..."

She pulled back the curtains, letting the daylight stream in. "Yeah and by the looks of it they should be confident in their abilities. They've pulled off one heck of a murder here and so far they haven't been caught. But I'm going to change that."

Aniko opened the wardrobe and poked her head inside. There were toys, clothes and blankets in there; what's to be expected. However they were all piled up at the bottom of the large closet. Nothing was hung up on the clothing hooks above.

She knelt down and began to peel away the layers of material and objects. She striped everything away until only one blanket remained, covering an oddly shaped lump. She removed the cover. There lay at the bottom of the wardrobe a child. His eyes were closed and he was unmoving. She immediately scooped the tiny creature up into her arms, pressing two fingers to his neck.

"How is he?" Marica whispered.

"He's alive. Just." Aniko stood up. "He needs help and fast. Hide again. I'm going downstairs."

"Ok." The angel nodded, following the instructions.

"Out of the way Yommers!" Aniko ordered, charging down to the kitchen.

"Wha-!" He leapt out of the way just in time not to be knocked over. "Hey! Aniko!" He ran after the girl in confusion. He got back to the shop area where Aniko stood with Pepper, rushing through a set of instruction and holding a small sallow toddler.

"-don't stop for anybody, ok? And be careful not to trip or run into a wall. Keep this child safe, Pepper. If Papa isn't in the house he'll be out back picking herbs." As soon as Pepper took the child from Aniko she was off running down the street.

Yona approached Aniko who was leaning up against a wall, one hand massaging her brow. "Aniko? What-"

"A child. I found a child in a closet covered in sheets. I'm surprised he didn't die from suffocation or starvation in there. He must have been alone for days. My Pa is the best doctor on the island; he should be able to help but... It's weird. I never even knew the Garters had a kid." She answered his question before he could even ask it.

"I didn't know either... He must have been at least five if not older. How could we not have seen him before?"

"That would be because," a gruff voice spoke. "Their child was mad."

"Captain Joben!" Yona saluted the newcomer.

However Aniko did not salute, instead she merely nodded her head half-heartedly. "Boss."

Their local Marine Captain, commonly known as 'Bloodless Joben Bones', was a prim man. He took his job very seriously and hated pirates with a passion, simply because he saw them as the most vulgar creatures alive. His appearance was excessively formal as were his mannerisms. He was easily shocked by crude behaviour and language which often made Aniko wonder why he gave her so much slack. She treated him unceremoniously and had cursed in front of him on numerous occasions yet he treated her like any of his subordinates, maybe even better than some.

Like always, today he wore his 'Justice' coat draped over his shoulders and underneath he wore a freshly ironed suit accompanied by a daring red tie. His golden curls were swept back out of his sharp green eyes. "The boy is the reason they had wanted to settle down. If he had been sane maybe they wouldn't have come here. Maybe they would have continued travelling. But the boy... the boy..."

Joben stared directly at Aniko as he spoke. "He scared people. People didn't like what he talked about. Some thought he was possessed by the devil of the sea. They wanted him dead. So they brought their child here and kept him in hiding. Only a few select people knew about him, including me."

"What did he talk about?" Yona asked.

"He believes he is a fishman." The captain replied distastefully. "A member of the Sun Pirates. He always says 'Fisher Tiger was the greatest', 'Where are my gills?', 'I want to swim again.'..."

"Let him believe what he wants!" Aniko said. "He's not mad or possessed."

"Aniko?"

"Detective. Do not let yourself get carried away by your feelings. Don't mix personal issues up with work." Joben's gaze was stern while Yona's was that of bewilderment. _What is he hinting at?_

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about! This is about someone's wellbeing. It isn't good for a child to be patronised for their differences! Life will be a struggle if he cannot touch the outside world before that world touches him. One day he will have to be independent. What happens then?"

She had seen enough of this before. Back when she was Hannah Holldear she had worked with autistic children. With just a glance you would think most of them were perfectly fine but their brains didn't function like everyone else's. She had been there to help them grow and learn how to become their own individual human beings. However some of the older ones would struggle in school. They would visit their club with stories of hardships and bullying from their peers and occasionally adults. The world was harsh on them.

"That will be decided at the time."

"And what about now? Where will he stay?"

"At the Marine base of course. Maybe we can even help him become a fine recruit if we try."

"Like hell he's going there!"

"Detective-"

"He'll be staying with me until we work something out alright. You can't force your beliefs on him!" Captain Joben narrowed his eyes at the albino girl. His green slits drilled holes into her own irises but she stood her ground, staring up at him determinedly. These were her values. She was going to get her way no matter what the cost. "I'll be going back to check on him now."

"Alright. He may stay with you however, before you leave... Tell me what you have noticed about this case so far."

Aniko smirked. Now he was talking her language. "It's already clear to me the murder has a devil fruit. It's not humanly possible to kill the way they have without some crazy-ass power. I still need to work out what type of power it is but it's bothersome to say the least. We can't look for clues on the victims' bodies now. I also noticed as soon as I walked in that the closed sign was up and all the blinds were down, meaning this is a cleverly staged crime, the criminal not being your average thug. He made it seemed like the store was closed to stop the authorities from being alerted to the deaths quickly. By the looks of the remains upstairs, I'd say they died over three days ago. And finally, do you find it strange that nothing in this shop is out of place? Nothing stolen? Yommers?"

She looked to her assistant waiting to see if he could find the answer. She waited a moment but he shook his head. He did not know.

She continued on. "This was not just somebody murdering for fun. They wanted something but that something is not a material position. I'd bet my right hand that they were after the kid. But they're obviously not as clever as you'd think. The kid's room was searched but not enough. Nobody even thought that he might be under the sheets in the wardrobe."

"Would you be prepared to lose that right hand if you were wrong?" Joben asked.

Aniko flashed her Captain an audacious grin. "When have I ever been wrong?"

Surprisingly Joben smiled back. "You are quite right detective. Well, I should be taking my leave. I wish you two luck on this case. I will be watching from the sidelines with the greatest of interest." And then he was gone.

"Really Aniko! If you're not careful with that tongue of yours one day you'll get it chopped off."

"Maybe so, maybe so..." Aniko stared blankly at the spot Captain Joben had been, lost in thought. She was beginning to question the choices she had made to come to this world while remembering her old life. Not to be brazen but before she had thought of herself as kind and calm person. She rarely lost her temper. But now she was swearing, drinking and purposefully making others uncomfortable before she could even stop herself. She felt quite guilty for being so disrespectful towards Joben but he irked her badly and she couldn't explain it. Maybe it would have been better if she had chosen not to remember Hannah. Then maybe she wouldn't have cared about it. How is her knowledge going to affect the future apposing to how it was before?

"Yommers, I want you to stay here and look around a bit more. I'll be at my house checking on the kid. If you find anything suspicious make sure to come and tell me."

"Alright, Aniko. I'll do my best."

* * *

**I'm getting really into this detective stuff. Gosh!**

**Joben-Japanese male name; it means to 'enjoys cleanliness'**


	5. Interrogation

**You heard of reincarnation? What if you could purchase your next life? One particular girl decides the OP universe would be a great heaven. But what if it turned out to be...not so heavenly?**

* * *

The albino girl stepped out of the shop, leaving Yona discussing with one of the marines. She took in a deep breath once out in the fresh air. It was nice to be away from the place where death lingered.

There were two lower-ranking marine soldiers stood outside. Upon seeing her they instantly stood to attention. "Detective Rakii."

She acknowledged them with a nod and began her walk down the road to her house, just outside of town. However she stopped in her tracks when she heard the two men whisper boldly. "Hey don't the detective's jugs look smaller today?"

"I was thinking exactly the same thing. They're still nice though. Very pert."

The subject in question reflexively whipped out a small but lethal dagger. She hadn't even registered she had a hidden weapon until now. It made her wonder if there was anything else concealed on her person.

Aniko's eyes flashed dangerously as she brandished the blade at the men. "Want me to stick this up your ass bastards?"

They jumped in alarm and recoiled back. "We're sorry, we're so sorry!" They flung themselves at the ground in an attempt to apologise, making sure to cover their backsides in fear of her carrying out the threat.

Aniko turned her back on the cowering men and huffed indignantly. "You'd better be."

The trek to her home was not enjoyable. The encounter with the chest-ogling marines had left her in a sour mood but that managed to change when Marica appeared for a chat. "Er, about that boob thing..."

Aniko fumed, stomping her feet as she marched. "Some fucking people! They have no respect for women. Honestly! At least talk about that type of thing when I'm not around. Do you hear girls talking about how huge Max's penis is compared to Jake's?"

"Who's max and Jake?" The little angel was ignored.

"I don't think so! Well ok, maybe some girls do but they are a let down to the female population, they are the shitty part of us."

"The boob thing was my fault..." Marica tried to interject on Aniko's rant.

"Are we ever going to get treated seriously?" She ceased to bristle and asked, "...What did you just say?"

"The men looking at your chest... It was my fault."

"How so?"

Marica looked very sheepish as she answered. "I made your breasts smaller to Hannah's size when you came here. Almost everything matched between you and Aniko but the chest sizes were different. Aniko had really big boobs so I thought you might like it if they were your normal size. I think I forgot to change some people's memory of you to correspond with that. Sorry..."

"Marica, that wasn't your fault." Aniko giggled much to the angel's surprise. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You've done me a favour. I don't even know if I'd be able to walk properly if I had a One piece bra size."

"Then you're not angry. Great. I thought you would be, being more hot-headed than your old self and everything."

"Hey, watch who you're calling hot-headed Blondie or I might actually get angry and drown you in a puddle." Marica almost panicked until she saw Aniko grinning cheekily from underneath her ashen mane of hair. She laughed loudly and offered her shoulder as a seat, which the angel gladly took, participating with the amusement.

Aniko reached her home in high spirits, almost completely forgetting about the mutilated bodies she had seen this morning. She kicked off her boots as she walked through threshold and announced, "Pa, I'm home."

"We're in my office Aniko!" Her Dad called back.

"You better hide again Marica." She whispered.

"I know."

Her father's office was a room completely devoted to medical practices. It was where he treated patients, mixed his medicine and gave first-aid lessons to the children of Tanner town (at the request of Captain Joben). Whenever one of these lessons was taking place Aniko would have to leave the house or lock herself away in her room. Normally she liked kids but those in Tanner town could be very cruel. The children would often poke fun at her and it took all of Aniko's will power not to yell at them and when she did they ran away screaming. Her father decided it would be for the best that she left when the children were around.

His office looked the same as usual, except today a small emaciated boy lay in the cot in the corner. He was connected to a drip but surprisingly he was already awake. Aniko wasn't expecting such a fast recovery. She would have to ask her father about that.

When she walked in the boy's eyes immediately snapped to her. He looked her once over with cold eyes, assessing her and then his eyes flicked back to his previous muse, staring at the blank wall. Pepper sat beside him, talking gibberish about her two greatest loves, pyrotechnics and Joben. However she seemed to have not realised the boy was paying no mind to her and continued to ramble on enthusiastically. Her Dad was on the opposite side of the room grinding herbs into a bowl and humming merrily. Aniko made her way over to him first. "Hey Pa."

"Ah Aniko, hold this." He pushed a dozen bottles into her arms. They would have fallen and smashed if Aniko hadn't been prepared for something like this.

She moved the bottles into a safer position in her arms before placing each glass container in its distinctive spot on the medicine rack. How she instinctively knew where each went was a mystery to her. "You don't suppose you could fill me in on the patient's super fast recovery. He was suffering from dehydration, right?"

"Yes, yes! He was. But the remarkable thing is that it seems to a certain extent his body can heal itself. With a bit of help from me he was wide awake in minutes. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Really?" Aniko gaped at the youngster in astonishment. "Do you know how he does it? A devil fruit?"

"No... It's not a devil fruit. But there are traces of sea water in his system. And what's more an average infant's body should be made up of around 70% water but this one is a whopping 97%! I don't understand it but it really is extraordinary."

"I see..." Aniko looked over to the boy, who was still ignoring Pepper, contently sipping a glass of water. She though back to what Captain Joben had said earlier. "Papa, can you and Pepper leave. I'd like to ask the kid a few questions."

"Ok, sweetie. Call if you need any help. Come on Pepper dear. I have some pictures of Captain Joben when he was just a youngster you'll want to see." Her father offered the dark haired girl a hand.

Pepper squealed gleefully and took the hand, her eyes becoming starry. "How long ago were they taken?"

"Oh, over 6 years ago I should think. Just when he was a young troop, a bit younger than you now. I might also have some of him when he was 11 as well..." Her Dad and Pepper's voices became muffled as the door closed. Aniko and the child were now alone in the room. The boy continued to gaze at the wall as Aniko sat beside him.

She said nothing, letting the silence stretch on. It seemed after a few minutes he grew tired of her watching him in silence. "Well?" He demanded. "Spit out what you want to say."

"I just want to ask a few questions." Aniko said calmly despite his attitude.

"Hurry up then!"

Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, showing him how serious she was. The boy's expression did not change except for the slight twitch of his mouth. He had almost frowned but managed to stay pokerfaced. Aniko hadn't missed that. "Firstly, what's your name?"

"Suijin."

"Suijin, God of water." Aniko mused aloud. "I wouldn't expect Mr and Mrs Garter to give you a name like that."

"They didn't. I chose it for myself."

"You must think very highly of yourself then."

"I do."

"I see." The detective was using this chance to analyse not only his behaviour but to try and read into everything he said. It seemed Suijin was doing the same. "How old are you?"

"23." He answered curtly.

"Really? Wow, all grown up are we?"

"Don't treat me like a child!" Suijin cried resentfully, slamming his tiny fists against his bed sheets in protest.

"Sorry, sorry. So, Suijin... You say you're a fishman?"

"Of course I am. Isn't it obvious?" He snapped.

"No, not at all actually. And that's why I want to know what makes you think you're a fishman."

"I just am, ok?"

"To me Suijin, you look very much like a human. You look like a human child."

"Watch your tongue scum or I might just cut it off!" He growled.

"Like I haven't already heard that one today." Aniko muttered. "Have a look in this if you don't believe me." She pulled a mirror from a draw in the bedside table and held it before Suijin. "Look. What do you see?"

"I see nothing!" He spat, pointedly looking away from the mirror.

She was becoming more forceful with her argument as passion strived to overcome her calm facade. "No, look at your reflection. Stop lying to yourself. Maybe in some other time you were a fishman but today you are a human and you have to accept that."

"I can't trust a human! They always lie. Everyone is always tricking me. They're trying to make me believe I am a human!"

"What about your parents? Do you think they were trying to trick you?"

"What, you mean the human's who live with me? Of course they're trying to trick me."

"But they must have loved you!"

"They..." He hesitated in his reply. "Yes. They've always loved me."

"But you don't love them?" The detective uttered bitterly. "You're heartless."

"No! It's humans who have no heart!" The boy roared, smashing his glass against the wall in his rage, causing his drip tubes to be ripped from his body. "I never loved them. They locked me away! Stole me from my homeland! They are worthless human scum who deserve to die!"

Aniko screamed in enough vehemence to make Suijin shrink back in fear. She lunged forwards grabbing the scruff of his top and shaking him profusely, not caring that he was still recovering. "You little brat! They gave up their dream for your safety! They came here to stop you from getting hurt! Sure they may have not let you outside but they kept you safe and healthy. They loved you with all their heart. You don't even know the extent of what they have sacrificed for you!"

"SHUT UP BITCH!" He howled, grabbing a shard of glass and raising it high above his head.

"Aniko! Look out!" Marica cried, flying from her hiding space.

The angel's arrival distracted Suijin for just a moment, allowing Aniko to spring upon the boy. She seized his wrist and pushed the palm of her other hand against his face in an attempt to force him into lying down. However the moment Aniko's hand made contact with his forehead she lost sight of everything around her. Her senses went into overdrive as thousands of split-second moments flashed in her mind.

She was with a big beautiful scaly creature that looked down upon her with the caring eyes of a mother. She marvelled at the sights of Fishman Island. She felt the ocean on her skin when she snuck away from home. She was overjoyed as she saw the splendour of Sabaody Archipelago. She saw the beautiful creature lying in bed, dead. She became part of the violence and brutality of the fishman district. She was determined to change when she joined the Fishman Karate Dojo. She was terrified as she was captured and sold as a slave. She was thankful when Fisher Tiger freed her. She was proud to be called a member of the sun pirates. She mourned the death of the great Fisher Tiger and tasted the salty tears running down her face. She felt lonely as she left the crew of the Sun pirates on her own. She felt excruciating pain as a human stared down at her in malice and held a bloodied knife in their hand. She felt relief as she woke up in no pain but felt different. She was angered at her human parents for telling her she was one of them. She longed to swim again. She lived sad and alone in her room. She was confused when her mother told her to stay in the wardrobe, no matter what happened. She heard strange noises coming from outside but stayed put. And then everything faded to black.

Aniko fell away from the boy in the cot. She scooted back against the opposite wall, clutching at the right hand that had initiated those strange thoughts as if it caused her pain. She was breathing heavily although it seemed only a second had gone by since she had seen an entire life time of events. _That was Suijin's former life. I knew it! He's like me. He remembers._

She looked up to the young boy. Like her he had his hands over the point of contact. "Why?" He whimpered, turning his gaze on Aniko. She was shocked to see tears pouring from his eyes in an endless stream. "They're dead... Why didn't you tell me?"

"W-Who?" she asked shakily.

His words were almost inaudible because he was sobbing so hard. "My parents! I saw them when you touched me. I saw into your mind and... And t-there was blood everywhere. I-I could have helped them! But Mommy... Mommy hid me!" His wails became louder than ever, as his whole body became flaccid while he bawled his eyes out.

Aniko slowly made her way over to the child. Now that she had gotten over the initial shock of what she had seen. She knelt beside him, unsure of what to do. He wasn't exactly like a normal child, but right now that is what anyone would think he was. He was at his weakest; this was his inner child.

She reached out her hand. "Aniko, be careful." Marica warned. The albino waved the angel away. She had no need to be cautious now. Tentatively she brushed back some of Suijin's dark brown hair in a soothing manner. He did not recoil at her touch, so she continued.

Aniko did not know how long they sat like that; her thoughts didn't dwell on time. She was mulling over everything she had found out and how it changed her outlook on Suijin. Maybe he was rude and snarky, and particularly judgmental about humans but it was all logical. By all means it wasn't fair to be so critical over someone because of their race, however now she knew why he was like that. It appeared he hadn't had the best past with humans. Aniko didn't think he really meant what he had said about his parents though. She had begun to understand that although he had said horrible things he truly had loved his human parents.

* * *

**How do you like Suijin? He's a bit rude but means well, a bit like Aniko.**

**And you may have noticed I changed the usage of apostrophes to quotation marks. It's defiantly easier to read. I guess I wanted to try something new but in the end the old favorite is always the best.  
**

**Suijin- the name of the Shinto god of water in Japan.**


End file.
